Canisters are known in the art for packaging and dispensing of products, including powder materials such as infant formula. While the present invention is broader than the packaging and delivery of infant formula, the invention will be described in relation to infant formula with the understanding that the invention is not so limited.
Canisters for infant formula should include one or more means to indicate whether the canister has been tampered with. For example, many canisters utilize a seal between the lid and the container which, if broken, indicates that that canister may have been tampered with.
In packaging and dispensing infant formula, it is important that the infant formula be sealed in the container by a sealing material prior to opening and use. For example, foil materials have been used to seal the container to retain the infant formula in the canister and also to indicate that the infant formula has not been tampered with. Such sealable materials must be (1) easy to open and prevent spillage of the infant formula when opening the canister; and (2) not subject to the foil tearing during manufacturing process or during transport to the store.
Once the infant formula canister has been opened, it is desirable that the infant formula is easily dispensed from the canister. In dispensing the infant formula, it is preferable that there is no spillage of the infant formula due to the waste of the formula and the mess that it may create. Additionally, infant formula must be dispensed in specific amounts for mixing with water in a bottle for the feeding of a baby.
In dispensing infant formula, it is known to use a utensil having a handle and a scoop to dispense an appropriate amount of the infant formula. It is also known to include and store such utensils in the infant formula canister. For example, some utensils are stored in the infant formula requiring the user to place their hand in the infant formula to remove the utensil, thereby possibly contaminating the infant formula and getting formula on the hands of the user. To alleviate this problem, it has been proposed to store the utensil in the lid of the canister. However, many of these utensils and their storage means have shortcomings such as (1) the utensils are limited in size and shape due to the storage means in the canister; (2) the utensils are difficult to remove after opening the canister; (3) the utensils are difficult to store after the canister has been opened; and (4) the utensils are difficult to remove from the storage structure.
Additionally, once the infant formula has been dispensed, it is desirable to store the utensil in the canister. As noted above, it is known to store utensils in the lid of the canister. However, such storage mechanisms, often including a bracket, may be difficult to manufacture and/or use by the consumer. For example, some utensils are stored in the lid of the canister by brackets making it difficult to place the utensil in the lid or remove the utensil from the lid, sometimes causing the canister to tip and spill formula.
It is also desirable that the infant formula canister not be constructed in such a manner as to allow the infant formula to become trapped in a gasket used to seal the container portion of the canister with the cover portion of the canister. This causes difficulty in closing the canister and spillage of the infant formula.
With known canisters, the utensil is limited in its length due to the size of the container lid in which it is stored. This may require a user to place their hand into the container body when removing infant formula. In some instances, the infant formula will come in contact with the user's hand thereby possibly contaminating the infant formula and making dispensing difficult and messy.
Known canisters also may not withstand substantial pressure. For example, when pressure is applied to the top of certain known canisters, the canisters may fail, including causing the foil material to burst or tear; causing the cover to separate from the base of the canister or the like. Additionally, when canisters are transported at different elevations, there is the possibility that an increase in pressure may cause the canister to fail, including bursting of the canister or failure of the foil material sealed to the container rim.
Although known canisters have been provided to package and dispense infant formula, there are disadvantages to the canisters on the market, some of which have been noted above. Accordingly, there is a need in the market for an improved canister for packaging and dispensing infant formula or other material and an apparatus and method for making the canister.